In February 2013, about a year before the formation of the Guild’s Membership Outreach Committee, I and the other editors and assistant editors of the fourth season of Swamp People (2010-present) returned to work under an IATSE contract after a four-day work stoppage that “flipped” the previously non-union show. While other reality shows had won union contracts before us, they were usually in conjunction with production crew support. What made the Swamp People strike special was that it marked the first time an editorial crew took action after a show’s production had already wrapped — and in so doing successfully unionized both the show’s post and production crews.

I remember how scary and stressful the decision to strike was. I had taken this job knowing it wasn’t a union show. Who was I to change the terms of the contract? But despite the large contribution that unscripted television was making to the total number of hours of TV programming (nearly two to one compared to scripted shows: 750 unscripted series vs. 409 scripted series in primetime in 2015, according to the website Reality Blurred), unscripted shows with union contracts were few and far between.

In the four years that have passed, over 100 unscripted shows now have union contracts… each of these victories sets off a ripple effect that leads to more successes.

Despite my fear, I also remember thinking, “Why shouldn’t reality TV editors be under the same protections offered to our colleagues who edit scripted television? Are we not also producing content to be aired on network and cable? Do we not generate the same kinds of profits in selling advertising for those shows? Why shouldn’t reality editors be able to earn hours toward pensions and health insurance? Why shouldn’t we be protected from overtime abuse like our scripted counterparts?”

And so we, as a team, struck. And we, as a union, won.

That scary and stressful Swamp People strike was an important win, but it was just the first step in a continuing journey. In the four years that have passed, over 100 unscripted shows now have union contracts. From incredibly hard-fought victories like the Shahs of Sunset (2012-2016) picket line that lasted nearly a month, to long-overdue wins like Survivor (2000-present), which finally came under union contract in its 29th season and is currently in its 34th, with more to come. Some are strikes led by both production and post crews, like Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch Challenge (2014-present), while others have been resolved peacefully behind the scenes, without ever needing to resort to picket lines, such as Skin Wars (2014-present) and American Ninja Warrior (2009-present).

Most importantly, each of these victories sets off a ripple effect that leads to more successes. After Survivor fell under contract, The Apprentice (2004-present) returned as a union show. After Naked and Afraid (2013-present) gained union coverage in its second season, its spin-off show Naked and AfraidXL (2015-present) was under contract from day one. Reality production companies like FremantleMedia have agreed that any new show they create will be under union contract.

Over the years, I have spoken to several of my colleagues who have made their own scary decisions to flip their shows and to ask for union contracts. Their reasons for doing so have been as wide and varied as the subjects of the reality shows on which they work, but some common ground is always shared: No one ever wants to strike. They want the basic benefits that most Hollywood craftspeople enjoy. After too many years of working shows without these benefits, they seek the union’s help. When the production companies don’t negotiate, editors make the hard choice to strike.

The prospect of preparing for a strike can be scarier than the actual event. Asking for compensation for hours worked, health care coverage and the ability to have an employer-contributed pension is a reasonable request, and worth extreme measures. So, when the call to strike finally happens, employees are unified as a team and at peace with their decision knowing that it is the right thing to do. Employers will not provide benefits unless it is made clear to them how committed the editors and assistant editors are as a team in demanding them. A strike proves that very quickly. One of the most common things I hear after a show has flipped is: “My only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner.”

In these last four years since the Swamp People strike, what I have learned is that “I” (meaning each and every one of us individually) am the union. For the union to be successful, for us to be able to provide protections and coverage for as many people as possible, we must be willing as individuals to make commitments to each other. A commitment to talk to your fellow editors about asking collectively for union coverage; to walk away from the edit bay when the call to strike comes; to be supportive of each other, show solidarity and walk the picket lines when they form; to vote in Editors Guild Board elections, serve on the Board of Directors, volunteer for Guild committees; and to keep the conversation going at all times: “How do we create more union jobs and how do we make life better for all our members?”

Our work is not done, and indeed will never be done. That is one of the reasons we formed the Membership Outreach Committee. Important issues continue to remain — such as how do we keep our assistant editors from being relegated to data managers while story producers do string outs and pull bites? Why can we not just do a “Bravo-wide” strike? But those issues and countless more will be faced, and solved, as long as we each take our responsibility to the union seriously.

For myself, I am proud of my contributions to the Guild, but I am also humbled at the idea of how much more there is to do. Mostly, I hope that each and every one of us can be inspired to go forward, Post Proud and Union Strong — together.

All Current Non-Talk Show Unscripted/Reality TV Shows Under IATSE Contract